The International Campaign for Tibet’s statement on the Shugden demonstrators

The International Campaign for Tibet is dismayed by the demonstrations by some Buddhists in the name of “International Shugden Community” aimed at undermining the work of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

While we leave it to the learned Buddhists to comment on the validity of the issue, our concern is that these Shugden demonstrators are causing great damage to the broader Tibetan issue. The people of Tibet continue to suffer under a ruthless and brutal Chinese regime. On account of this, the Tibetans in Tibet are even sacrificing their lives calling for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and freedom for Tibet.

The Chinese Government looks upon the Dalai Lama as the source of their inability to legitimize their rule in Tibet and have been attempting to sever his connection with the Tibetan people. The Shugden demonstrators are thus contributing to the fulfilment of the Chinese Communist Government’s agenda of undermining the authority of the Dalai Lama. In 1959 the Tibetans rose as one against the Chinese Government that was destroying their religion, culture and identity. That situation has not changed today.

The demonstrators are attempting to create seeds of discord and confusion among the public by using terms like religious freedom, human rights, etc. to define their issue. We feel the Shugden controversy is complex and people need a deeper understanding. His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s website (www.dalailama.com) as also that of the Central Tibetan Administration (www.tibet.net) and by the Tibet Houses (http://shugdeninfo.com/) covers the historical development of this controversy.

Right now the time is for all those concerned with the survival of Tibetan religion and culture to look at the real cause for the suffering of the Tibetan people. If the Shugden demonstrators are genuinely concerned about religious freedom and human rights of the Tibetan people, they will serve the cause better by working to alleviate the plight of the Tibetans in Tibet, rather than focusing on their parochial interest. By their own admission, they are spending much energy and resources for the sole purpose of slandering His Holiness the Dalai Lama.